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New Delhi : As per information provided by Medical Council of India, there were 10,41,395 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils/Medical Council of India as on September 30, 2017.
Assuming 80% availability, it is estimated that around 8.33 lakh doctors may be actually available for active service. It gives a doctor-population ratio of 1:1,596 as per current population estimate of 1.33 billion. However, WHO norms prescribes that there should be 1 doctor per 1,000 people. The Government has approved opening of 100 new medical colleges during 2014-18 to increase healthcare services.The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on March 13, 2018, according to a PIB release.